6 To Fight Fire with Fire or Not
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: FF: WGH needed more moments on a serious note, yes? Johnny has a bad day & requests that Azula teach him some kung fu moves.


Johnny enters Sue's room with a grumpy look written all over him. He has something to bring up, brother-sister chat style.

"Johnny, will you get a grip? What's with you & Azula?"

"Sis, Miss "Fire-Fairy-Princess" keeps annoying me!"

"And....?"

"Okay, fine, I admit it. She's good at doing stuff!"

"Seriously, Johnny. You can throw anything you've got at me. I won't tell."

There was a long pause.

Johnny sighed. "I'm scared she'll be a better Human Torch than I'll ever be. I..I suck. Big time. But not all the time. I've been screwing up more since Dr.O & her moved in."

"Are you for real? The team's never gonna let go of you, little brother. You're awesome. You're irreplaceable." Sue smiled.

"Really?"

"You bet."

"But I still find her annoying! She's so prim & proper."

"She's smart."

"She's ridiculously fast."

"She's compassionate."

"She's unfair!"

Sue had a trick up her sleeve, "She's _especially_ beautiful."

"Exactly! Wait, what?! No!!! Arghhhh..."

"Admit it. You like her."

"I do not."

"I've got an idea. You gotta take lessons from her!"

"Excuse me?"

"Kung fu. You could combine it with you're flying & you'll do better in fighting. Besides, people will love you more."

"Hmmmmmm..."

***

The following morning, no supervillain alerts bothered the FF. Everyone joined up for breakfast (today was Azula's turn in the kitchen) & Sue planned a 'quality time' session for that afternoon that would most certainly commence, provided no dangers shook New York's state of peace. Ozai was discussing with Reed about him & Azula remaining as Baxter Building tenants. Reed was puzzled why he'd asked; the FF members were fine hanging around with them. Ozai had his company prototype finished at last, & was ready to test it anytime now. He desired some R & R before he would do so.

Ben loved Azula's steamed buns. They were easy finger food, packed with the carbs he desperately needed for daily workouts in preparation for imminent face-offs with bad guys. Both he & Sue clicked with their new female friend very nicely. They could conjure up many a subject larger than just small talk. Today Alicia was coming over to spend time with her boyfriend, too. Obviously, Ben was elated & looking forward to it, & Alicia had yet to know Ozai & Azula better.

Thing is, nothing about the new tenants' presence affected or even bothered Johnny. He went about his routine spins in his model cars, read Hot Rod, & watched TV...mostly alone, though. If he ever interacted with people they'd be drooling girls or simply crowds cheering. Although minor, this was a problem puzzling his teammates occasionally. He had a rather different set of interests - which he didn't share with anyone but himself. &..Frankie was his ex-girlfriend now. Sadly they wouldn't miss feelings of awkwardness if they ever crossed paths again. The Negative Zone incident from last time couldn't possibly leave their minds. Currently, he didn't have close guy friends either.

Being a superhero, a status that high (which meant residing in a high penthouse too) didn't quite make adequate room for a closed circle of friends. Everyone out there was actually dying to know what you're up to each minute; where was the personal space? Given the size of his ego & weight of importance placed on his image, every opinion, story, rumour or anything relevant to the Human Torch mattered. When he was in high spirits, he felt ever so great about himself. However, with the vicissitudes of life he felt quite the opposite the moment he didn't get it his way. & why hadn't he pleased every single person out there yet? More often than not, a question like this drove him to try harder but to the extent that he appeared ridiculous. & what happened between him & Frankie mirrored such a situation.

***

This morning, nothing good was being aired. Bored & slumped on the sofa, Johnny sighed & turned off the TV. Heading to the kitchen with his latest magazine copy, he gave his hands a quick wash. Alas, his magazine got soaked. Was his mind in the clouds? Ughhhh, great, he thought. The soggy mag was chucked aside. What to do next? The answer fired off instantly: take his modified V10 for a drive! Sometimes he didn't mind driving in sheets of rain: more risk was the catch, but more thrills were up for grabs. What was the word 'risks' to the Human Torch, anyway?

Cumulonimbus clouds loomed overhead to blanket the metropolis in shadows. On the road, the V10 flashed past pedestrians & motorists as a streak of orange & purple. Because the weather had toned down New York's hustle & bustle to that of a gloomy blue-grey shade, the car did look beautiful. Behind the wheel, he swerved & waved to almost everyone, parading himself in the process. He got high again. But wait - was that bad traffic way ahead? He had no choice but to brake at a set of lights. He got impatient, twitchy & couldn't keep his head facing forward in a ramrod straight direction, so he looked to the right.

A little, ordinary scene drew him as the moon draws water. Before his eyes, a boy of tender years (about eight years) held his mother's hand real tight. He smiled up at her with eyes that flickered so vividly that even the headlights of surrounding cars appeared as mere blurs in the rain. The mother's hair was blonde, & she wore a hair band that kept each strand of blonde in order. Her face boasted a delightful expression that offered a dose of family love. Her eyes, deep blue, seemed to emit a glow as they connected with the child's own eyes.

Johnny thought he heard a lone word resonate.

_Mum..._

That word was in his mind's eye.

Okay, quit looking, Johnny forced himself in his head. He felt like leaving the outside world now; back to the Baxter Building was the plan. Ouch, his thoughts muttered. Admittedly, today it was near impossible to indulge in his favourite pastimes. Strangely enough, oxygen supply was low for him this very minute. He wagered he felt this way as a result of the word..._that_ word...He'd do anything to forget about the child & mother he just saw.

**Genuine love never just ceases; it never fails.** Johnny was happy to be confident that the flaming spirit of his fans wouldn't be quenched in disappointment. It all applied differently when love mingled with memories of his late mother, though. Engrossed as he was in the present life, there was the likelihood that he completely ruled out the belief that she'd be with him (if not haunting his thoughts), watching over him wherever he went, even now.

Arriving at his cosy penthouse via elevator, he looked frantic to the others, who were socializing in the living area. "Joining us, Jonathan?" asked Ozai cordially. No reply came. Sue smiled a sad smile for she knew about her sibling's 'down in the dumps' spells. She could take the pain far better than him. She told Ozai, "He's got an agenda. Don't worry." Johnny quickened his pace to get away from them. This was private time; a private pain to deal with, he was thinking. He had noticed a second ago, however, that Azula wasn't talking with everyone else. An idea that stemmed from last night's brother-sister chat session struck him. "I hate myself," he whispered lightly. His legs were going to take him to wherever Azula was. "Just to forget the stupid word..."

***

"Hey, erm, Azula."

"Oh, hey. What brings you here?"

"I just wanna say, I'd like to learn some of your moves..&....&....I'm sorry if I've been a jerk. & I don't apologize much. End of story."

The room was shrouded in silence for a while. She responded, "That gives me another something to do." Johnny witnessed her rather infuriating one-sided smile, coupled with her narrowed, hazel Oriental eyes. "We're cool?" she next asked.

"Yeah, we're cool. You need a nickname. I call people by them, oh, except Reed."

"Excuse me?"

Fingering his chin, he spelled her name, "A-Z-U-L -"

"Americans pronounce the letter 'Z' differently from others? Yours sounds like 'zee'. The rest make it sound like 'zed'."

" 'Zed' is weird. Maybe I should call you that..."

Azula felt this ought to be the tail end of arguments using petty subjects as platforms. She sighed, "Fine by me."

"So, Zed, do we fight fire with fire?"

"No fighting. Let's work on feeding your flames. Tomorrow morning."

The agony of _the_ _word_ subsided, & Johnny could breathe normally.


End file.
